Niti Aayog to speed up funding process for Kanpur, Agra Metro projects

'The European Union Investment Bank (EIB) is keen to fund the two projects,' Singh said. In 2016 a three-member delegation from EIB had visited Kanpur and said it was ready to offer help for the project. It had also acknowledged the need for a quick and easy mode of public transport in Kanpur. The UP government had in February transferred Rs 100 crore to Kanpur and Agra for the projects after earmarking Rs 175 crore token budgetary support in this year's budget. The estimated cost of the Kanpur metro rail project is nearly Rs 17,000 crore (Rs 170 billion) of which the UP government will provide around Rs 1332 crore (Rs 13.32 billion) while the Kanpur Development Authority is to provide Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) for the project. The UP State Industrial Development Corporation would be required to pitch in with Rs 50 crore (Rs 500 million) in the first phase. For the rest, the UP government will have to seek funds from other sources. The Agra Metro Rail Project would cost nearly Rs 12,900 crore (Rs 129 billion) of which Rs 1009 crore (Rs 10.09 billion) would be provided by the state government and Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion) would have to be arranged by the local bodies. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Hindustan Timeshttp://wiznotes.com/UserProfile/tabid/84/userId/277037/Default.aspx

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Defence Minister commissions second Kalvari class submarine INS Khanderi

All the concerns of the Navy have been addressed," said an official of the Western Naval Command. (Express photo: Pradip das) Key features of the submarine include a state-of-the- art technology which reduces its noise under the sea. (Express photo: Pradip das) "It is a diesel-electric submarine which runs on battery, with a capability of firing six torpedoes. Its maximum speed is 20 nautical miles, which is a world standard for most of the attack type of submarines," the Navy official said. (Express photo: Pradip das) Another crucial feature of the new submarine is that unlike previous requirement of 60 crew, its maximum requirement is 36 crew. It saves oxygen availability and increases its capacity to stay under water for long periods. (Express photo: Pradip das) The third submarine in the class, INS Karanj, was launched in January 2018, and is undergoing sea trials at present. (Express photo: Pradip Das) The MDL has got a contract to build a total of six submarines in Kalvari class in association with the French company Naval Group (previously known as DCNS). (Express photo: Pradip das) DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The Indian Expresshttps://justpaste.it/5fqx2

China plays 'Fight the Landlord' to tame Hong Kong

In the current chaotic situation in Hong Kong, many young people are venting their dissatisfaction with high housing prices and expensive rents at the government," wrote an official commentary by the party's Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, which oversees China's police and courts. "They're probably blaming the wrong target."The return of "Fight the Landlord" lays bare the Communist Party's shifting attitudes toward the business world. Hong Kong's property tycoons were once big beneficiaries of an unspoken pact between Beijing and business: They could wheel and deal as they liked, so long as they helped China achieve its economic dreams and left the politics to the Communist Party.Today, as the party tightens its grip over daily Chinese life, business has become another tool for control. Business leaders who aren't sufficiently loyal can suddenly find themselves at risk.And in Hong Kong, where companies operate under a different set of laws but still depend on the mainland for their profits, China's state media is increasingly willing to threaten or humiliate any business leader who stands in the way.The party's growing reach raises questions about the future of people like Li - and, by extension, of all of Hong Kong. Li was a consummate player of the old game, cultivating ties with Beijing's most powerful leaders even as he grew his wealth. But under Xi Jinping, China's top leader, the party has demanded absolute loyalty, eliminating some of the grey areas where business in Hong Kong once stood."One of the biggest characteristics of Xi's ruling style is that he's not interested in uniting different interest groups," said Leung Man-tao, a Hong Kong writer and commentator who has big followings in both the mainland and Hong Kong. "He can't see the value of grey areas. He wants absolute loyalty."In the mainland, the party has taken a direct role in how some of China's biggest and most successful companies do business.This past summer, Chinese officials met the country's two most powerful Internet tycoons, Jack Ma of Alibaba and Pony Ma of Tencent, to talk about deeper cooperation between state-owned enterprises and the tech giants. Just two years ago, their companies ploughed billions of dollars into backing one state-owned telecommunications company.In September, officials in the Chinese city of Hangzhou said they would appoint a government representative to serve as a liaison in the top offices of companies based there, including Alibaba. They said the goal was to improve coordination between government and business.Business people who don't get on board risk becoming targets.Wang Gongquan, a billionaire venture capitalist who advocated more liberal political and social policies, was detained in September 2013 and jailed for five months. Ren Zhiqiang, a property developer, found his social media accounts deleted when he used them to criticise the party's tightening control over discourse and is no longer allowed to leave the country.Since the protests began, Beijing has taken a more direct role in Hong Kong. State-controlled media has castigated Cathay Pacific and other employers whose workers joined the protests. Beijing has urged representatives from nearly 100 of China's biggest state-run companies to step up investment and assert more control of companies in Hong Kong, according to Reuters.Now the government is taking on Hong Kong's property developers, a group that has long sought to stay in Beijing's good graces. Hong Kong's largest pro-Beijing political party in September called on the city government to take back land from developers to build affordable housing. Beijing's accusations against Li and the other real estate tycoons aren't groundless. The cozy relationship between the Hong Kong government and wealthy property developers has long drawn criticism from experts who say it worsens housing affordability. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The Telegraphhttps://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/users/arjunranagans/

'Freedom of choice is ours': India defends right to buy Russian arms

"We would not like any state to tell us what to buy or not to buy from Russia any more than we would like any state to tell us to buy or not buy from America," he said. "That freedom of choice is ours and we think it's in everybody's interest to recognise that," he said. India, a Cold War ally of the Soviet Union, last year agreed to buy five S-400 systems for USD 5.2 billion, and Russia has said that delivery is on track. Under a 2017 law, the United States imposes sanctions against countries over "major" arms purchases from Russia due to Moscow's military involvement in Ukraine and Syria and alleged meddling in US elections. Turkey, a NATO ally, in June angered the United States by also going ahead with an S-400 purchase. President Donald Trump responded by ending Turkey's involvement in the F-35 fighter jet program but has yet to announce other sanctions. Jaishankar hailed warm relations overall with the United States but underlined India's differences with Trump's hawkish stance on Iran. The United States has threatened sanctions to force all countries to stop buying oil from Iran as it seeks to curb the clerical regime's influence in the Middle East. In May, the Trump administration ended waivers for countries including India, formerly a leading customer for Iranian oil "We view Iran from the east, and from the east Iran has been a very stable, status quo power," Jaishankar said. For India, "we've been repeatedly assured that the affordable and predictable access to energy will not change," he said, declining to comment further on discussions on Iran. India has been teaming up to expand Iran's Chabahar port, a way to ensure a supply route to Afghanistan that bypasses Pakistan, New Delhi's rival and historic ally of the Taliban. ... DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Deccan Chroniclehttps://euro-math-soc.eu/users/bogbadmessi

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On Batman's 80th anniversary, a fan's love letter to the Dark Knight

A Batman who kills simply isn't Batman. It is his only code. And as much as he likes to pretend that he operates within various shades of grey, he is as black and white as they come. We might not agree with his morality - he does, after all, use violence as a means to an end - but to him, he is like a samurai with a strict code of ethics that he is physically and psychologically incapable of breaking. It is the only thing that separates him from the madmen he has dedicated his life to capturing (not killing) and putting behind bars. It is the only reason why the cycle never stops. Solving problems by pulling guns out and shooting them in the face is an accurate representation of our times, but is it honourable? How can we, as a culture, criticise the establishments that encourage this violence, if we ourselves revel in it? A complete list of Batman films (live-action and animated), television series and video games. ( Warner Bros ) These are the ideas that Paul Dini (who has done more for the character than perhaps even its creator Bob Kane) attempted to unpack in his recent, semi-autobiographical comic book, Dark Night: A True Batman Story. Dini was inspired to write the book following a near-death mugging, which left part of his head shattered. The parallels between Bruce Wayne's story aside, the attack got Dini wondering: do superheroes even have a place in the real world? 'What makes Batman and what makes other superheroes work is the myth that when life is at its lowest, and when you need a hero, a hero swings down and helps you,' Dini told the Hollywood Reporter, holding back tears. 'And I didn't have that.' Zack Snyder's Batman didn't offer that warmth. And as clinical as Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale's version of the character was, you could at least rely on him to be there. An evolution of the lBatman logo over the years. ( Warner Bros ) Funnily enough, the best depictions of the character besides Nolan's trilogy have spanned the length and breadth of every medium that would have him. Dini himself is the writer of several excellent Batman stories, such as the phenomenal episode of his Batman: The Animated Series (Heart of Ice) - one of the earliest lessons in morality I received as a child - and the video games, Batman: Arkham Asylum and its sequel, Arkham City, which is easily the best deconstruction of the Batman-Joker relationship ever written. It ends, as many of you might know, with a love song, sung by the Clown Prince of Crime for his nemesis/life partner. These stories challenged the idea of what superheroes could be, and more importantly, what supervillains could be. They were hardly conventional, but they retained the soul of their subjects, and showed them without judgment. The next decade will be crucial for Batman, as a new filmmaker (Matt Reeves) puts his own spin on the character. It is unlikely that the sour taste of BvS will drive fans away. We've bounced back from Batman & Robin, and the character we love has taken on worse. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Hindustan Timeshttps://anotepad.com/notes/kycr9e2

Muslim SDO at Durga Puja helm

irector of Government Chhau Dance Centre (Seraikela) Tapan Kumar Patnaik, who is one of the members of the Seraikela Puja, said the SDO had convened a meeting four days ago to finalise the Puja programme. In the meeting, it was decided that a requisition for a 10 per cent increase in the Puja budget would be made this year. The last year's budget was Rs 1.6 lakh."The first ritual known as bela barana will be performed on Panchami on October 3. Last year, Qayyum had come to the Durga temple, the Puja venue, for three days from Saptami. He sat on a special asana (matress) and spent over an hour on the rituals each day," Patnaik said.Patnaik said Qayyum, while performing the rituals during last year's Puja, had said the Almighty was one. Only the ways of worship are different. "One's intentions should always be good and pious," Qayyum was quoted as saying. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The Telegraphhttp://www.tabletopperslinen.com/ActivityFeed/MyProfile/tabid/61/UserId/42245/Default.aspx

IITians making Brand India stronger: PM Modi

It is not only your social responsibility but also makes immense business sense,' he advised. Pointing at the graduating students, the PM said he saw in them both a mini-India and the spirit of New India. 'There is energy, vibrancy and positivity, I could see dreams of the future in your eyes,' Mr. Modi said. ... DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Deccan Chroniclehttps://anotepad.com/notes/r8fdpny